Help- Buyer received refund and kept item

MochaBoo · #1 08-07-2010

I recently sold a DVD set on ebay. About a month later the buyer contacted ebay saying they never received it. I had delivery confirmation on it but it had not been updated to show the item had been received. Ebay gave the buyer a refund. I kept checking the dc # and received the message that it was delivered on July 28th, two days after the buyer got their refund. I contacted ebay about this and appealed the case showing proof that the item had been delivered. A few days later I received a message saying that ebay would not overturn their decision and the buyer would keep the refund. I was also told to contact the buyer and have them send the item back to me. It is a week later, I contacted the buyer 3 times through ebay, 4 through email and even requested their info so I could contact them by phone and their phone number turned out to be completely bogus. Is there anyway I can get the item or the money back? I've looked up mail fraud but it seems it can only be done for those who have purchased something that is sent throught the postal system?

lakeman · #2 08-07-2010

How much $$ are we talking here? Unless it's over $100 it's not worth it, let it go. IF it's over $100 you can try to get a a hold of the buyer or just cut it as a loss.

needhelpplease · #3 08-07-2010

Just to make sure...you are saying Ebay is the one that issued the refund right??? Not paypal??? If it is ebay that decided in her favor...first make sure they actually charged you for the refund. If they did appeal the CHARGE, in which case yes, she would keep the dvds and the refund from ebay, but it wont be out of your pocket that she gets the money....a little more detail on the actual way she was refunded and if it came out of your money would help.

needhelpplease · #4 08-07-2010

Also if the phone number is bogus, contact trust and saftey through email and they WILL verify it and if it is bogus they will allow her a certain amount of time to update her number or she will be kicked off ebay. That is one thing trust and saftey does do and you will be notified about it as it goes along....you will get an email notifying you that ebay has notified her about having to update her info and you will get an email once she has updated her phone number and now you will have a working phone number. And anybody can make a complaint against mail fraud, you have to call the 800 usps number (assuming that is how you shipped it) and ask to be transfered to the postal inspectors to place a complaint. Good Luck!

pod · #5 08-07-2010

More and more buyers are learning that they can get free stuff with the system. This buyer seen the tracking had not updated and took advantage of you.

Scumbag thieves, nothing less.

Its only going to get worse until changers are made. Try seller protection via PayPal. Its slim, but your only shot.

**SaiJin** · #6 08-07-2010

HOnestly I'd just move on. I bet you don't lose too much money on the cost of the boxset, do you?

topseller · #7 08-08-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by needhelpplease

Just to make sure...you are saying Ebay is the one that issued the refund right??? Not paypal??? If it is ebay that decided in her favor...first make sure they actually charged you for the refund. If they did appeal the CHARGE, in which case yes, she would keep the dvds and the refund from ebay, but it wont be out of your pocket that she gets the money....a little more detail on the actual way she was refunded and if it came out of your money would help.

No ebay will eventually get their money through your payment method on file or through paypal. They sent me an email saying "we have refunded the buyer and find no one at fault, so you will not be charged."
A month later when I had enough balance in the paypal account they refunded the payment.

forummember · #8 08-08-2010

Not much you can do. Learn from this, and put it down as a loss. Unfortunately buyers today are aware that they can milk the system in order to get free products. Problem lays with the mail company for not updating the system.

needhelpplease · #9 08-08-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by topseller

No ebay will eventually get their money through your payment method on file or through paypal. They sent me an email saying "we have refunded the buyer and find no one at fault, so you will not be charged."
A month later when I had enough balance in the paypal account they refunded the payment.

Not true at all...ebay takes in to account the number of cases filed against you as a seller through ebay's system....you may have got that message at first and if there were more cases filled against you by buyers through ebay after that then ebay CAN charge you for all and if ebay charged you that that had to have been the case.....found that out on ebay's help pages.

IDK · #10 08-08-2010

LOL I bet he paid 20 bucks for a china box set that he sold for $200.

DogFacedBoy · #11 08-08-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by IDK

LOL I bet he paid 20 bucks for a china box set that he sold for $200.

I'd like to know what those are.
From my experience if you're willing to lay out $500 for quantities of 10 sets ($50/each) you'll be lucky to sell them for much more than $100-$125. By the time ebay and Paypal take their cut and you ship the sets you'll be making less than $50.
That's not bad per item, but if you only buy them one at a time your profit will be less than $20
IMO not worth the risk

topseller · #12 08-09-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by needhelpplease

Not true at all...ebay takes in to account the number of cases filed against you as a seller through ebay's system....you may have got that message at first and if there were more cases filled against you by buyers through ebay after that then ebay CAN charge you for all and if ebay charged you that that had to have been the case.....found that out on ebay's help pages.

I just telling you what happened to me. No other disputes. Ebay emails me the message, we refunded buyer but no one at fault, consider the matter closed. I month later when i had enough in the paypal account to cover the reversed the the payment and credited to ebay.

Likely because ebay and paypal couldn't charge my method on file, paypal waited until there was enough balance to cover the charge.

SlickJane · #13 08-09-2010

Does the buyer have any items for sale?